Snow removal device and method

ABSTRACT

A snow-melting attachment for snow removal equipment that can take up snow from surfaces and melt it using heat generated from the snow removal equipment&#39;s engine is provided. In an aspect, the attachment has at least one radiator-heated section coupled to at least one radiator and a channel having an input end, at least one section wrapped by at least one exhaust jacket operative to receive engine exhaust gas from an engine of the snow removal equipment, a section abutting the engine of the snow removal equipment, and a discharge end. A snow removal apparatus comprising the attachment and a snow-collecting portion and a method of using the attachment are also provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is in the field of snow removal equipment, and more specifically, to such equipment having the capability to unfreeze snow.

BACKGROUND

Snow removal is often necessary after a snowfall to clear roads, walkways, driveways, parking lots, airport tarmacs and runways, and the like. Keeping these surfaces free of snow after a snowfall is important for safer and easier travel. Such snow removal can be performed by individuals, private companies, and government institutions alike.

One method of snow removal is through the manual use of shovels or brooms to clear snow from surfaces, though this method is very labour intensive and can take significant amounts of time, particularly if there has been a heavy snowfall. The amount of physical effort required to manually shovel snow can put strain on the back and heart of an individual, making snow shoveling somewhat hazardous.

For those that are not interested in engaging in labour-intensive shoveling, a winter service vehicle or a plow-bearing vehicle such as skid steers, lightweight tractors, heavy front-end loaders, and plow trucks can be used to aid in snow removal. Snow removal equipment such as plow trucks and tractors will push snow off to the side of a surface or into a pile out of the way of vehicles or pedestrians. Another option is to use snow blowers (also called snow throwers). Snow blowers might be of particular interest to those people having long or large walkways or driveways or other substantial surfaces requiring snow clearance, or for those people living in locations subject to long winters with large amounts of snowfall. Snow blowers will, rather than mechanically pushing snow off to the side using a plow or plates, use an impelling force to blow snow off to the side of a surface.

A disadvantage of using conventional snow clearing vehicles or equipment such as plows and snow blowers is that snow will steadily accumulate over the winter into piles of snow building up on the sides of roads or on the lawns of properties, for example. These piles of snow are sometimes called windrows or snowbanks and they may make it difficult to further remove snow adjacent the snowbanks, as it may be difficult to push additional snow onto already over-piled snowbanks or to blow snow overtop of the increasingly higher snowbank. These snowbanks, if left, can take many months after the winter is over to melt under the sun because the snow becomes packed and dense under the weight of snow above and from the force of the snow plow or other snow removal device pushing additional snow into the pile. For this reason, the snow in snow banks becomes more similar in nature to ice and can thus block driveways and imprison parked cars for months. Snowbanks thus need to be removed, though their density makes it difficult to remove without labour-intensive mechanical means. Snowbank removal could comprise hauling the snowbanks away in trucks to remote locations and dumping them or spreading the snowbanks out over open roads when the weather is nice enough to melt the snow. However, this type of mechanical snowbank removal is altogether time-consuming, labour-intensive, and costly.

Other attempts at snow removal include snowmelt systems. Snowmelt systems heat the pavement or other surface below fallen snow and melts the snow after a period of time. These systems, however, are expensive to install and operate and require disturbance of the surface of the property in its installation. These systems are not cost effective for large surface areas, as constantly heating large surface areas throughout the winter to melt the covering snow may require a lot of electricity to overcome the low ambient temperature and to melt copious amounts of snowfall. Oftentimes snow may collect in certain areas of a surface due to blowing wind or the like, and heating the entire surface to melt snow in only one given area is inefficient and has a negative impact on the environment. Additionally, oftentimes sewers, storm drains, and other drainage devices can become blocked with ice and snow and will not properly drain vasts amount of water from melted snow. This may result in melted snow pooling over a surface, or worse yet, accumulating on a walkway or road and subsequently freezing, thus making the walkway or road very slippery and presenting a navigational hazard.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would be advantageous to have snow removal equipment that reduces the accumulation of snowbanks is not labour-intensive to use, and is cost effective.

In an aspect, a snow-melting attachment for snow removal equipment comprises at least one radiator-heated section coupled to at least one radiator and a channel having an input end, at least one exhaust-heated section wrapped by at least one exhaust jacket, the at least one exhaust jacket operative to receive engine exhaust gas from an engine of the snow removal equipment, an engine-warmed section abutting the engine of the snow removal equipment, and a discharge end.

In a further aspect, a snow removal apparatus comprises a snow-collecting portion having an engine and a discharge chute and a snow-melting portion having at least one radiator-heated section coupled to at least one radiator and an input end in fluid communication with the discharge chute, at least one exhaust-heated section wrapped by at least one exhaust jacket, the at least one exhaust jacket operative to receive engine exhaust gas from the engine, an engine-warmed section abutting the engine, and a discharge end.

In yet a further aspect, a method of disposing of snow removed from a surface comprises the steps of directing at least one of snow and water removed from the surface to a channel, the channel having at least one of an engine-warmed section warmed by the body heat of a snow removal apparatus and at least one exhaust-heated section warmed by at least one engine exhaust jacket, whereby at least a portion of the snow is melted into water by the at least one of the engine-warmed section and the at least one exhaust-heated section, and directing the at least one of snow and water removed from the surface to at least one radiator-heated section coupled to at least one radiator, whereby at least a portion of the snow and water is vapourized to water vapour, and expelling the water vapour from the channel into the atmosphere.

The present invention can take up snow from surfaces and melt it using heat generated from the snow removal equipment's engine. The resulting water can be vapourized and discharged into the air, effectively removing the snow from the surface without causing a pile up of snow in a snowbank while making use of the engine's heat that might otherwise be wasted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the invention is claimed in the concluding portions hereof, example embodiments are provided in the accompanying detailed description which may be best understood in conjunction with the accompanying diagrams where like parts in each of the several diagrams are labeled with like numbers, and where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a snow-melting attachment for snow removal equipment in an aspect; and

FIG. 2 is a flowchart in a method of removing snow from a surface.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the snow removal attachment.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating attachment of the snow removal attachment to snow removal equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

A snow-melting attachment for snow removal equipment is provided. The snow-melting attachment can be installed on snow removal equipment such as a snow blower. The snow removal equipment can direct snow removed from a surface into the snow-melting attachment where it can be melted and vapourized, then discharged from the snow-melting apparatus.

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a snow-melting attachment 10 for snow removal equipment being used in conjunction with the discharge chute 22 of a snow blower 20, in an aspect.

The snow removal equipment could be any type of equipment that forcibly blows or directs snow into a given direction. In the aspect shown, the snow removal equipment is a snow blower 20 driven by an engine 24. The snow blower 20 can be a typical snow blower known in the art having a high-speed impeller driven by a motor. The impeller may be on the front end of the blower 20 and can be formed of two or more curved paddles that move snow toward the discharge chute 22. When the impeller spins via operation of the motor, an impeller force is created that forces snow in front of or under the impeller upward into the discharge chute 22, the outlet of which may be pointed in any direction, typically upward and off to the side of the blower 20 so as to blow the snow out of the way of the snow blower 20 and onto snowbanks. Optionally, the snow blower 20 could be a two-stage snow blower that breaks up the snow using metal augers prior to the impeller forcing snow out of the chute 22. In some aspects, the snow blower 20 could use an auger-type spiral blade, a vacuum, a conveyor, or the like to transfer snow from the street or ground into the chute 22. In some aspects, the snow blower 20 could be a push or “walk-behind” snow blower, or could be a self-propelled snow blower having a seat and an engine for driving, which could be the same or a different engine than the one used for operating the blower 20.

The snow-melting attachment 10 comprises a channel 30 having an input end 32 and a discharge end 34. The channel 30 can be defined by one or more pipes made out of suitable materials to withstand heat and to provide sufficient heat transfer capabilities. For example, these pipes could be made out of iron, copper, aluminum, or various alloys.

A pre-heating section 40 of the channel 30 is surrounded by an exhaust jacket 42 that can receive engine gas exhaust from the engine 24. In the aspect shown, the exhaust jacket 42 is a coil that may receive engine gas exhaust and that is wrapped around the pre-heating section 40, though in some aspects the jacket 42 may be an annular layer around the pre-heating section 40 that receives engine gas exhaust so as to maximize contact and thus heat transfer between the jacket 42 and the pre-heating section 40. The jacket 42 may receive exhaust from the engine 24 at one end, and can discharge the exhaust to the atmosphere at the other end or otherwise through an exhaust system. In some aspects, the jacket 42 could flow through to a second jacket 43 to keep a further portion of the channel 30 warm before it is expelled through an exhaust system.

An engine-warmed section 50 may be disposed in fluid communication with the pre-heating section 40 and can be adjacent thereto. In some aspects, the pre-heating section 40 is adjacent the input end 32 of the channel 30, while in other aspects, the engine-warmed section 50 may be adjacent the input end 32 of the channel 30, depending on the specific configuration of the snow blower 20. The engine-warmed section 50 can be configured to abut the engine 24 to allow emanating heat from the engine 24 to transfer to the engine-warmed section 50, further providing heat to the channel 30.

In fluid communication with the pre-heating section 40 and the engine-warmed section 50, there can be disposed an evaporator section 60. The evaporator section 60 can be coupled to a radiator 62 that can heat the evaporator section 60 so as to vapourize snow or water therein. The radiator 62 could provide heat by means of hot water circulating through the engine, or through other means.

In some aspects, a drying section 70 can be provided adjacent the evaporator section 60 and in fluid communication therewith. The drying section 70 can be coupled to a heating element 72 such as a heating lamp, electrical wire, or the like, to further heat the channel 30 and so as to ensure full vapourization of any residual water or snow from the evaporator section 60.

The snow-melting attachment 10 could be a removable attachment for the snow blower 20, being fitted over the discharge chute 22 of the same. In some aspects, however, the snow-melting attachment 10 could be integral to the snow blower 20, being semi-permanently or permanently mounted on the snow blower 20. Snow picked up by the snow blower 20 can be discharged from the discharge chute 22 directly into the input end 32 of the channel 30 for melting and vapourizing the snow. The connection point between the discharge chute 22 and the input end 32 of the channel 30 can be provided with an isolation system to ensure a secure connection therebetween and can further be insulated to keep heat from escaping from the channel 30. In some aspects, the isolation system could comprise insulating curtains. As the snow passes through the channel 30, it is heated and thus can melt and turn to water and eventually water vapour. The water vapour can then be expelled through the discharge end 34 of the channel 30.

The pre-heating section 40 of the channel 30 can be heated by the heat of the snow blower's engine exhaust pipe, which feeds into the exhaust jacket 42 surrounding the pre-heating section 40. This may be sufficient heat to melt the snow introduced from the discharge chute 22 In this way, snow discharged from the chute 22 can be melted in the channel 30 from the heat of the exhaust jacket 42, which may be a more energy-efficient method of melting the snow by capitalizing on the heat already generated by the engine 24. The heat generated by the engine 24 can be further used to heat the engine-warmed section 50. The engine-warmed section 50 can abut the snow blower's engine 24 and can be warmed directly by the snow blower's engine body heat, thus also heating the contents of the channel 30. In this way, thermal energy is provided to the pre-heating section 40 and the engine-warmed section 50 through the heat already generated by the engine 24 in operation of the snow blower 20.

The snow can be discharged from the pre-heating section 40 and the engine-warmed section 50 into the evaporator section 60. In some cases the thermal energy of the engine 24 and exhaust jacket 42 may have provided sufficient heat to the channel 30 to at least partially turn the snow into water at this point. The evaporator section 60 can use the radiator 62 to which it is coupled to provide yet additional heat to the channel 30. This heat can be sufficient to allow snow or water passing therethrough to vaporize.

As the snow, water, or vapour are further blown through the channel 30, they can pass through the drying section 70 which can ensure greater vapourization of any residual snow or water through the provision of additional heat by means of the heating element 72 to which it is coupled.

When the snow, water, and vapour have passed through the pre-heating section 40, the engine warmed section 50, the evaporator section 60, and the drying section 70 of the channel 30, the resulting water vapour can be expelled out of the discharge end 34 of the channel 30.

In some aspects, the channel 30 may be curved with, for example, the pre-heating section 40 and engine-warmed section 50 being disposed at a higher level than the evaporator and drying sections 60, 70. This could allow the water that results from snow melting in the pre-heating section 40 and engine-warmed section 50 to run naturally via the force of gravity into the evaporator section 60 and/or drying section 70 to be vapourized. The discharge end 34 of the channel 30 could be curved upwardly to allow the heated vapour to move naturally out through the upper open discharge end 34 of the channel 30 into the surrounding atmosphere. The availability of this type of configuration and the specific curvature of the channel 30 will, of course, depend on the specific configuration of the snow blower 20 to which the snow-melting attachment 10 is coupled and with due regard given to safety of the equipment and the need to minimize how cumbersome the attachment 10 will be to use and maneuver.

Some sections of the channel 30 may have an interior surface that is highly reflective with low heat transfer capabilities and may be insulated from the atmosphere using Styrofoam™ or the like so as to minimize heat loss out of the channel 30 and to allow for the temperature within the channel 30 to build up as high as possible. For example, the evaporator section 60 and the drying section 70 could have such insulating and reflective properties.

In some aspects, each of the pre-heating section 40, engine-warming section 50, evaporator section 60, and drying section 70 are equipped with separate thermometers for monitoring temperature, and could also have their own separate controls. For example, if the pre-heating and engine-warmed sections 40, 50 are found to have insufficient heat to melt the snow passing therethrough, use of the evaporator section 60 and maybe the drying section 70 could be triggered, depending on how much heat is needed to melt the remaining snow and/or evaporate any resulting water. The amount of heat used by each section could vary, depending on ambient temperatures and how effective each section is at melting or vapourizing snow and water. The water vapour could then be expelled from the channel 30.

The power supplied to the snow-melting attachment 10 could be the same power source used to fuel, operate and/or propel the snow blower 20, such as gasoline or diesel, or in some cases could be electrically powered. The attachment 10 could tie into the power source of the blower 20 so that separate power sources are not required. However, in some aspects, the attachment 10 may have its own power supply and in some further aspects, each section of the channel 30 having a heating element could have its own power supply. For example, the radiator 62 and the heating element 72 could operate using the same or different power sources.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart in a method of disposing of snow removed from a surface 100. In a method of disposing of removed snow 100, snow is directed to a channel having at least one of an engine-warmed section warmed by the body heat of a snow removal apparatus and a pre-heating section warmed by an engine exhaust jacket at step 110. At step 120, the snow and resulting water from step 110 is directed to an evaporator section of the channel heated by a radiator capable of vapourizing at least a portion of the water or snow/water mixture. Optionally, at step 130, the resulting snow, water, and vapour mixture can be directed to a drying section of the channel that is heated by an additional heating element and that further ensures vapourization of remaining snow and water. At step 140, the resulting water vapour can be expelled from the channel into the atmosphere.

In a further aspect of a snow removal attachment 310 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 attached to snow removal equipment 320, snow can first enter an isolated area exposed to a pre-heating radiator 312 to melt the snow prior to the snow and/or resulting water entering into channel 330. The snow or water can then enter into a pre-heating section 340 of the channel 330 that is surrounded by an exhaust jacket 342 that can receive engine gas exhaust from the engine 324. Water can then enter an evaporator section 360 of the channel 330 that can also be surrounded by an evaporator exhaust jacket 362 that can receive engine gas exhaust from the engine 324 and exhaust jacket 342. Exhaust from the exhaust jacket 362 can be expelled through an exhaust system. The evaporator exhaust jacket 362 can heat the evaporator section 360 so as to vapourize snow or water therein, which can escape to the atmosphere. In some aspects, at least one additional evaporator radiator 350 could be coupled to the channel 330 at the evaporator section 360 or subsequent to the evaporator section 360 to further support melting and/or evaporation of snow and water. In some aspects, radiator 312 and any further radiators 350 used to heat the channel 330 could be heated via heated water circulated to them from the engine 324. In some aspects, warm water can be circulated from the engine 324 first to the radiator 312 and then to subsequent radiators 350, and back to engine 324 to be re-heated.

In use, snow can be introduced into the isolated area exposed to the pre-heating radiator 312 or can be introduced directly into the input end of the channel 330 from a discharge chute 322 of a snow blower or other snow removal equipment 320. The force used to move the snow, water, and water vapour through the channel 110 and discharge it out the same can be provided solely by the snow remover's impeller and engine, though in some aspects, a separate fan may be provided to further force the snow to move along through the channel 330 and out the discharge end.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous changes and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all such suitable changes or modifications in structure or operation which may be resorted to are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A snow-melting attachment for snow removal equipment comprising: a channel comprising: an input end; at least one exhaust-heated section wrapped by at least one exhaust jacket, the at least one exhaust jacket operative to receive engine exhaust gas from an engine of the snow removal equipment; an engine-warmed section abutting the engine of the snow removal equipment; and a discharge end; and at least one radiator-heated section coupled to at least one radiator.
 2. The attachment of claim 1 further comprising a drying section adjacent the discharge end coupled to a heating element.
 3. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the at least one exhaust jacket comprises a coil wound around the at least one exhaust-heated section of the channel.
 4. The attachment of claim 1 wherein at least one of the at least one radiator-heated section forms part of the channel.
 5. The attachment of claim 1 wherein at least one of the at least one radiator-heated section comprises a pre-heating area heated by at least one radiator adjacent and in fluid communication with the input end of the channel.
 6. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the attachment is removably connectable to the snow removal equipment.
 7. The attachment of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one exhaust-heated section, engine-warmed section, and the at least one radiator-heated section are coupled to separate thermometers for monitoring temperature.
 8. The attachment of claim 2 wherein the at least one radiator-heated section and drying section are controlled independently of the at least one exhaust-heated section, engine-warmed section, and each other.
 9. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the discharge end is curved upward for venting of water vapour.
 10. The attachment of claim 2 wherein at least one of the at least one radiator-heated section and the drying section comprises an interior reflective surface.
 11. The attachment of claim 2 wherein at least one of the at least one radiator-heated section and drying section is insulated.
 12. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the power supplied to the snow-melting attachment is the same power source used to operate the snow removal equipment.
 13. The attachment of claim 1 wherein the at least one radiator is heated via circulated water from the engine.
 14. A snow removal apparatus comprising: a snow-collecting portion comprising: an engine; and a discharge chute; a snow-melting portion comprising a channel having: an input end in fluid communication with the discharge chute; at least one exhaust-heated section wrapped by at least one exhaust jacket, the at least one exhaust jacket operative to receive engine exhaust gas from the engine; an engine-warmed section abutting the engine; and a discharge end; and at least one radiator-heated section coupled to at least one radiator.
 15. The snow removal apparatus of claim 14 wherein the snow-collecting portion is a snow blower.
 16. The snow removal apparatus of claim 15 wherein the snow-collecting portion further comprises an auger.
 17. The snow removal apparatus of claim 14 wherein the snow-melting portion further comprising a drying section adjacent the discharge end coupled to a heating element.
 18. The snow removal apparatus of claim 14 wherein the at least one exhaust jacket comprises a coil wound around the at least one exhaust-heated section of the channel.
 19. The snow removal apparatus of claim 14 wherein the snow-melting portion is removably connected to the snow-collecting portion.
 20. The snow removal apparatus of claim 14 wherein the power supplied to the snow-melting portion is the same power source used to operate the snow-collecting portion.
 21. A method of disposing of snow removed from a surface comprising the steps of: directing at least one of snow and water removed from the surface to a channel, the channel having at least one of: an engine-warmed section warmed by the body heat of a snow removal apparatus and at least one exhaust-heated section warmed by at least one engine exhaust jacket, whereby at least a portion of the snow is melted into water by the at least one of the engine-warmed section and the at least one exhaust-heated section; and directing the at least one of snow and water removed from the surface to at least one radiator-heated section coupled to at least one radiator, whereby at least a portion of the snow and water is vapourized to water vapour; and expelling the water vapour from the channel into the atmosphere.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of directing the at least one of snow and water removed from the surface to at least one radiator-heated section occurs before the step of directing at least one of snow and water removed from the surface to the channel.
 23. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of directing the snow, water, and water vapour to a drying section of the channel heated by a heating element prior to expelling the water vapour from the channel, whereby snow and water can be further heated so as to melt or vapourize. 